Changing Sides
by innail
Summary: The episode The Western Air Temple from Zuko's point of view. So far I have only written through when he promises not to let the Gaang down, but if enough people ask, I'll finish out the episode. Also, how do I go about getting my stories beta-ed?
1. Chapter 1

**Changing Sides**

I step out from behind the pillar and find that the bison has landed between me and the Avatar's group. They can't see me so I take another moment to prepare. I can hear them talking. Wait, is the Avatar talking about visiting an echo chamber? Sozin's Comet is coming and the Avatar is thinking about _echo chambers_? Then the earth bender girl says something about that having to wait and I just have time to thank Agni that at least one of them has priorities before the bison moves, allowing the group to see me. The blind earthbender is pointing right at me. How she knows where I am, I have no clue. "Hello, Zuko here" I see the Avatar's group get ready to fight, but I have to hope they will be willing to listen. "I heard you guys flying around up there so I just thought I'd wait for you here" The bison comes over to me and I flinch instinctively, but then, to my surprise, it licks me. I wipe off the slime and continue "I know you must be surprised to see me here" I'm about to keep talking when the water tribe boy – Sokka – interrupts me, saying "Not really, since you've followed us all over the world." _Oh dear_, I think, _this is not going well_. "Right… Well uh… anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I uh, I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending… to you." Sokka looks dumbfounded but it looks like I'm getting through to the Avatar at least, so I continue talking, somewhat encouraged. "See, I, uh…" Now the blind earth bender – Toph – interrupts me "You want to do what now?" Katara, the waterbender, cuts in "You can't possibly think any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?" I know she will be the hardest to convince, after what happened in Ba Sing Se. Now Sokka, who seems to have recovered from his shock speaks up "Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang!"

"I've done some good things!" I protest "I could have stolen your bison back in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free" _Shoot, why did I mention Ba Sing Se_ "That's something!" As I finish speaking, the bison licks me again. "Appa does seem to like him" points out Toph. I feel my hopes rising, but then Sokka speaks up "He probably covered himself in honey or something, so Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it!"

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past…"

Sokka interrupts again "Like when you attacked our village?"

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara again.

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try and capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the water tribe. And I never should've sent that fire nation assassin after you. I'm gonna try and stop him.

Suddenly, Sokka interrupts again "Wait, you sent Combustion Man after us?"

"Well that's not his name, but…" I start to explain, only to be cut off by a sarcastic comment from Sokka "Oh, _sorry_, I didn't mean to insult your friend." Now I'm starting to get annoyed, and I yell "He's not my friend!" Toph, who had until now seemed willing to listen, now looks very angry and yells "That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!" I take a deep breath and look at the Avatar, knowing this could be my last chance "Why aren't you saying anything?" I ask "You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me." Aang looks at his friends, none of whom seem very willing to let me join them, before replying "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Then Katara says "You need to get out of here, now." _Ugh… why won't they listen?_ I try again "I'm trying to explain, I'm not that person anymore!" I take a few steps forward, trying to make them _listen_. Sokka yanks out his boomerang and tells me "Either you leave, or we attack!" I sigh and kneel down, putting my hands out in front of me "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

"No, we won't!" I hear Katara yell, and then I get swept backwards as she waterbends at me. She continues "Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again… well, we better not see you again!" _I blew it, my big chance to help end this war, and I blew it_, I think sadly as I leave.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, since the first part of this got a pretty decent reception – in other words, no one said they hated it – here is the rest of the episode, just as I promised. Also, while I normally hate it when people beg for reviews, this is/was my first ever fan fiction, so I don't really know if I'm a good writer or not, and the only way for me to find out what you guys think of my writing style is if you review, so…

* * *

I manage to wait until I got back to camp before screaming at my own stupidity "I can't believe how _stupid_ I am!" I start pacing back and forth in agitation "telling them I sent an _assassin_ after them?" _Mentioning Ba Sing Se probably hadn't been a great idea either, and considering the fact that right after the Avatar had said he thought we could be friends, I had attacked him, so that might not have been the best thing to remind him of…_ "Why didn't I say Azula did that? They would have believed that! Stupid!" _Unless… maybe part of being good is telling the truth and accepting the consequences? After all, that day in the South Pole, the Avatar could easily have hidden his arrow and pretended to be a member of the Water Tribe, but chose to tell the truth, even though it put him at risk, because he knew that if he didn't, innocent people would suffer. As opposed to my father and Azula, who lie all the time and, if telling the truth would cause people to suffer would likely stay to watch. All the good people I know seem to lie rarely, if ever, and put the safety of other before their own safety._ Comforted by this knowledge, I lay down in my shelter and slept.

* * *

A sudden noise wakes me, and I sit up, "Who's there?" I ask, and order whoever it is to stay back, while instinctively firebending in the general direction of the noise. Just as I release the wave of fire I hear the response: "It's me!" The voice sounds familiar and I frown, trying to remember who it is. Then the person cries "Ow!" and I hear a thump, they must have fallen. I rub sleep from my eyes and the world comes back into focus. I look in the direction of the noise and realize, horrified, who it is: Toph, the earthbender who travels with the Avatar. _I think I just made a really big mistake…_ "You burned my feet!" she screams at me. _I have to help her, this is my fault._ I stand up "I'm sorry! It was a mistake!" I exclaim, running towards her. "Get away from me!" she yells, earthbending in my general direction. "Let me help you!" I exclaim, catching up to her. I stop talking long enough to dodge another rock before continuing "I'm sorry!" I dodge another rock and put my hand on her shoulder. "Get off me, get off me!" she yells, and before I can react or explain that I'm trying to help she shoots up a column of rock that hits me right in the chest and sends me flying. Hitting the ground hard, I struggle to sit up "I didn't know it was you!" I try to move forward, but the pain in my chest won't let me "Come back!" She doesn't listen and I watch as she crawls off into the bushes. I groan, and ask no one in particular "Why am I so bad at being good?"

* * *

A/N: Actually, you know what? I'm going to be evil and leave it at this for now. Mwahahahaha


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, despite only getting one review on the last chapter, I am posting this third piece. It goes from where I left off last time through when Zuko says "I won't let you down! I promise."**

* * *

I guess I finally managed to get back to sleep, because I get woken up by the sound of footsteps. Some instinct warns me to keep quiet and I creep in the direction of the footsteps. To my horror, I see the assassin – I never did learn his name and ever since the disastrous meeting with the Avatars group yesterday I had been thinking of him by the nickname Sokka had given him, Combustion Man – headed towards the part of the temple where the Avatar and his friends were staying. _I have to warn them!_ I headed quietly towards the area where I had encountered the Avatar and his friends the day before.

* * *

_Was it the second or third staircase on the right? I don't have time for this, I have to reach the Avatars group before Combustion Man!_ As if the thought of him had summoned him, I see Combustion Man headed down the stairs on the level below, and underneath the ledge where he is headed is the Avatars Group. _Oh no! I'm too late to warn them!_ I put my head in my hands._ But maybe I can call off Combustion Man!_ I race after Combustion Man. _I don't have time to take the stairs, so I'll use my rope and swing down._ Just as I prepare to swing, I see Combustion Man inhaling, preparing to attack. _I'll swing into him. That should at the very least throw off his aim, and maybe buy some time for the Avatar and his friends to get away._ I put actions to thoughts, and not only does it throw off his aim, it knocks him over. "Stop!" I yell, standing in front of Combustion Man with my arms spread to block him as he gets up "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!" I can picture the Avatar staring up at me in shock. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop!" Combustion Man simply shoves me out of the way and continues to attack. I get ready to firebend at him, if only because that will distract him, and tell him "If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" but he simply grabs my shirt and holds me away from him. I throw my fireball, but it misses. "All right, I'll pay you double to stop!" I yell as I make him let go, then snap out a side kick that throws his aim off, but also knocks me away. As I get to my feet I see that Combustion Man is fed up with my interference and is about to attack me! Just as he releases the blast, I create a shield of fire. It blocks some of the impact, but the force sends me backwards, off the edge of the temple. I grab at a hanging vine and start climbing back up. I can hear the sounds of the fight but am unable to see what is going on, when all of a sudden, I see what looks like Combustion Man's arm go flying past me._ I guess we know who won the fight._ I reach the top of the vine and pull myself up onto the ledge. I walk towards the Avatar's group, who are all staring at me. The Avatar hangs his head and says "I can't believe I'm saying this… but thanks, Zuko"

"Hey, and what about me I did the boomerang thing" says Sokka, accompanying this statement with an arm gesture. I kill the urge to roll my eyes.

"Listen," I say, "I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." _Thank you, Uncle._ I see the Avatar's expression soften, but I'm not done talking, and I turn Toph "I'm sorry for what I did to you" I bow, and then continue "It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally" I see the Avatar's expression change to one of surprise and realization.

"I think you _are_ supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love." To my surprise and joy, he bows to me in the traditional firebender style "I'd like you to be my teacher."

I smile and say "Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group."

"Not so fast." _Whaaaaaaat?_ "I still have to ask my friends if it's ok with them." He looks at Toph "Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?"

Toph is quiet for a moment and then says "Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at me for burning my feet." _Two down, two to go._

"Sokka?"

The water tribe boy closes his eye for a moment, and then tells the Avatar "Hey, all I want is to defeat the fire lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it." _Three down, one to go._

"Katara?" She looks at me and frowns. I've known all along that she would be hardest to convince, and I feel a bead of sweat trickle down my face.

Finally she informs the Avatar "I'll go along with whatever _you _think is right." _Whew._

"I won't let you down, I promise."


End file.
